


Our Destiny

by 5star_illusion



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: And so is Seungmin, Crucible, Destiny 2, Don't look down on Seungmin pls, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Ghosts are non-binary, Hunter! Felix, Hunter! Hyunjin, I just like this game a lot, Idiots in Love, M/M, SKZoo as Ghosts, Slow Burn, Soft Boys, Some cuss words, Sometimes they big brain, There's gun and shit, Titan! Jisung, Warlock! Seungmin, but that's ok, death but they get revived many times, fighting evil, forehead kiss, hyunjin is dumb, just a tiny bit, minsung - Freeform, pure fluff, that's the whole point of the game tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29391558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5star_illusion/pseuds/5star_illusion
Summary: Well, so much for not dying. It had barely been two seconds when he was brought back to his point of death. Seungmin gave confused grunt, mind slightly befuddled at the situation. In order to revive at his death point, it would mean that another Guardian had revived him there. The Warlock turned around and there grinning cheekily at him was none other than someone Seungmin had the displeasure of meeting.Hwang Hyunjin.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Our Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I adore playing Destiny 2 and I wonder what it would be like if Stray Kids lived in that world. But imagine dying and then reviving many times and have to protect people every day. Sounds tiring tbh. But do enjoy this fic I wrote overnight like some psycho

If it was one thing Seungmin learned when he was revived by his Ghost, Jiniret, for the first time, it was that the purpose of his second and many more chances in living was bound to The Traveller, living his lives to protect the citizens of the Light as a Warlock Guardian. And therefore, there would be no other commitments. No relationship, no hobbies, just work aka protecting the Light and all that was related to it from the Darkness and anything that worked against the Light with his fireteam members, Han Jisung, the Titan Guardian and Lee Felix, the Hunter Guardian.

He also learned that Jiniret could be quite an inconvenience at times when the Ghost would panic loudly in his ear while he dodged yet another bullet from a Fallen. “Shut up,” Seungmin hissed as he ducked behind a fallen debris to reload his gun. He flinched when there was a loud explosion hitting the cement.

It was a mistake to go on this mission alone. Not that he would like to admit it. It wasn’t that he never had solo missions before, but it was just an unfortunate one that there were more enemies than he could manage. Seungmin peeked from his shield and landed some solid shots on a Fallen before hiding back to let Jiniret heal him before he could dart to another safe spot and get rid of some more of the vile creatures.

“We should have waited for Felix and Jisung,” Jiniret whimpered unhelpfully as Seungmin got rid of another Fallen but not without taking some damage as well. The Ghost emitted some warning beeps, signalling Seungmin’s dangerous low of health. Seungmin contemplated whether to let himself die there and then just to escape the Ghost whines for a couple seconds but decided the reviving at the respawn point would too much of an inconvenience plus the time wasted waiting to be revived and running back to the battleground would be pointless so he ducked back into safety after tossing a grenade in a general direction.

Unfortunately, just as he could hide, he was shot by a Fallen he did not notice, and he died.

Well, so much for not dying. It had barely been two seconds when he was brought back to his point of death. Seungmin gave confused grunt, mind slightly befuddled at the situation. In order to revive at his death point, it would mean that another Guardian had revived him there. The Warlock turned around and there grinning cheekily at him was none other than someone Seungmin had the displeasure of meeting.

Hwang Hyunjin.

“Hey, Seungminnie!” Hyunjin greeted cheerily before running off to shoot down some more Fallen. Seungmin groaned. Of course, leave it to the star Hunter to come to his rescue. Nevertheless, he switched guns and resumed his mission, cutting down the Fallen as quickly as possible before sneaking back home to the Tower without interacting with Hyunjin.

As the last of the Fallen was cleared and Seungmin had claimed his mission loot, he was about to sneak off when Hyunjin grabbed his arm. “Not gonna thank me?” the older boy smirked. Seungmin sighed.

“I could have done it on my own,” the Warlock grunted, shaking the Hunter’s hand off him. Despite the rude action, Hyunjin’s insufferable expression did not once falter. Instead his smile grew, eyes forming into deeper crescents and perfect teeth showing.

“Bold words from someone who died just a moment ago,” Hyunjin said in an almost mocking tone. Seungmin rolled his eyes. “If your Ghost hadn’t sent a distress signal, I doubt you would be able to finish this mission.”

Seungmin glared at Jiniret who pointed look away from their Guardian and floated off to talk with Hyunjin’s Ghost, PuppyM. Sometimes Seungmin wished he could have PuppyM instead of Jiniret, but Ghosts and their Guardians were bound for life. If Jiniret died, that meant Seungmin would be dead permanently too. And as much as Seungmin disliked it, Jiniret knew him better than anyone did and made appropriate decisions in accordance to Seungmin’s need.

“Whatever,” Seungmin scoffed, tossing Hyunjin one of his loots before stalking off to the direction of his ship. He could hear Jiniret give a hasty goodbye and thank you to PuppyM and Hyunjin before trailing after their Guardian.

“I’m so sorry, Guardian. PuppyM was the closest Ghost I could reach out to,” Jiniret said. If the Ghost had any facial expression, Seungmin could definitely see them pouting and pulling puppy eyes at him. Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“I could’ve finished the mission on my own, Jiniret,” the Warlock said gruffly as he hoisted himself into his ship. Jiniret scoffed but didn’t say anything more. Just as how Jiniret knew him well, Seungmin could read his Ghost just as easily and right now, he could feel the sass emitting from his Light partner. “I’m serious,” Seungmin flicked the bottom of Jiniret lightly, causing the Ghost to yelp and whine dramatically as his ship hummed to life and raised itself to the direction of home sweet home.

✨✨✨

Hyunjin was annoying. Being a star Hunter Guardian, everyone knew who he was. Not only was he good-looking, he was effortlessly gifted in all kinds of weapon he picked up, paired with hard work and charming personality. _Just like the late Cayde-6_ , Seungmin thought wryly. It was the Warlord Vanguard, Ikora Rey’s, words. Seungmin never met Cayde-6, the former Hunter Vanguard, but if he was anything like Hyunjin, he would have avoided him as much as possible.

Seungmin pushed the thoughts of Hyunjin as far away from his head as possible as he dragged his feet towards his dorm after vaulting his loots. He groaned as Jiniret reminded him to start on his report to Ikora as soon as possible. As much as he liked being alive, he wished he could be dead a little longer. But fate decided to fuck with him either ways.

Jisung and Felix were already lounging in their respective spots when Seungmin walked in. Eyeing Jisung’s cushy thighs, the youngest in their fireteam headed straight for the Titan’s lap and collapsed heavily on it, ignoring the wheeze emitting from the squirrel faced boy and buried his face into the soft stomach. “What’s got you so exhausted?” Felix asked as Seungmin gave a particularly loud disgruntled groan.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” he mumbled. However, Jiniret apparently wanted to talk about it.

“Hyunjin helped us in our mission,” they informed, almost smugly. Seungmin didn’t have to look at the other two to see the confused and probably envious look on his friends’ faces. Especially Felix who was a Hunter himself. Seungmin never understood why everyone liked Hyunjin so much. Sure, he was a prodigy in fights and could complete missions at record time, but in the end, he served the same purpose as them. Sure, he was the one everyone wanted in Crucible matches but it was all teamwork in the end (although Hyunjin carried most of the time). Sure, he was perfectly beautiful and had one of the best Ghost and was constantly praised by the Vanguards and practically anyone of importance, he was just another Guardian.

“You’re so lucky!” BbokAri, Felix’s Ghost, chirped. Seungmin rolled his eyes. “What’s PuppyM like? Is he cool like every Ghost says?”

“The coolest!” Jiniret squealed. BbokAri and Jisung’s Ghost, HAN Quokka joined in their fan-Ghosting. Seungmin couldn’t blame them. He too would wish to have PuppyM as his Ghost. Not that Jiniret wasn’t great, he would appreciate having a partner that wouldn’t keep screaming every time an enemy got too close or chat his ear off about every gossip they heard.

And speaking of gossip, he was probably gonna be reached out by random Guardians asking about Hyunjin because knowing Ghosts, the meeting between him and Hyunjin would spread like wildfire and along with it, rumours. Seungmin found himself dreading it every time he leaves his dorm now.

✨✨✨

Hyunjin and Seungmin first met during a Crucible match. The game type being 6v6 control where they had to take and hold three control points. Crucible matches were important to Seungmin because it meant evaluating his skills, teamwork and strategy play. Being a warlock, he was constantly relying on curiosity, logic and strategy to win, keeping an eye on his teammates and see what improvements they have made so he could incorporate it on their next mission. Not to mention the winning team often got attractive prizes that could definitely upgrade his fireteam.

That day’s prizes were Ghost upgrades. Jiniret had expressed their wish on the latest upgrade and Seungmin found it way too expensive for him to afford. He was saving up his Glimmers to get his Sparrow repaired (it was a pain to run to his mission) and he could hardly find any spares to purchase the upgrades. And it would be a good deal to get all his team’s Ghost upgraded all at once through the match as well.

So, there he was, checking his weapons again and again when a gorgeous boy walked up to him. Seungmin’s eyes widened when the stranger smiled at him. He was cute with his pretty brown eyes that sparkled, accentuated with a mole under his left eye and a lovely smile that left his breathless. Seungmin nearly fell for his ethereal aura until the boy spoke.

“Are you really going to enter with that?” the boy pointed at the sword in Seungmin’s hands. The pretty aura around the boy practically crashed as Seungmin’s face hardened. He wasn’t sure why, but the words said by the boy rubbed him the wrong way. What’s wrong with a sword? And he voiced his thoughts out. The stranger laughed. It could be just Seungmin, but he was sure this pretty boy was mocking him. “Swords are practically useless in Guardian to Guardian matches. Your chance of killing with it is pretty low,” the boy said. Seungmin frowned.

“How would you know? What if I can do it with a sword?” Seungmin huffed. He had never done it before, but he was curious to see it in GvG matches. He was a warlock after all. He wanted to try it himself and he wanted to prove it even more now. Was it petty? Yes. But was it worth it to risk the prizes? Probably not. But he didn’t want to admit this to this boy. Who did he think he was? Going up to Seungmin and telling him that using a sword was useless in GvG.

Pretty boy shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat,” he smirked before strolling off. Seungmin gripped his sword and stomped off to find his teammates. Felix gave him a concerned look and before he could ask what was wrong, the alarm for the match rang and they ran to position. The rage in Seungmin was let out that day during the match, making more kills than his other teammates. However, during the middle of the match, Seungmin noticed his teammates being killed within seconds after revival, not lasting even five minutes. As if they were taken out by a skilled sniper.

The original plan was having half of the team claiming the control point while the other half killed off the opponents and defending the control points and while Seungmin was doing a fine job cutting down the opposing Guardians, his teammates could barely claim the points without dying.

Seungmin called for a time out in which he was immediately granted. As his members gathered at their designated spot, he finally noticed the tired and weary looks on his teammates’ faces. “What the hell is going on?” Seungmin asked.

“We keep getting sniped,” Felix sighed tiredly. The rest all agreed with exhausted mumbles. Seungmin frowned.

“By whom?”

The other fireteam in their match shared hesitant looks. “Hyunjin, the star Hunter,” one of them said. At his name, Jisung groaned, making Seungmin confused.

“Sorry. Who’s Hyunjin?” he asked. The other fireteam gave him surprised looks.

Jisung sighed. “Sorry, he only eats and breathe work. He practically lives under a rock when it comes to non-work stuff,” he apologised before directing them back to the problem at hand. “Right now, what you need to know is that he’s way too good at everything, which is a huge disadvantage on our end. We need a strategy now to at least catch up on the other team.”

Seungmin wracked his brain. “Alright, how about this. I don’t know who Hyunjin is, much less who he looks like so your warlock,” he looked at the other team who immediately pointed to their warlock. “Try to find where his position is and teleport behind him and get rid of him the best you can. Follow him closely and if needed, ask for assistance. The rest of the plan goes on and let’s try turn the tables the best we can, okay?” Seungmin suggested.

There was a chorus of okays and agreements, just as the alarm rang, signalling the end of their time out. And the game resumed. Hopefully, this time the win was in their favour.

Apparently, their plan worked. Without this Hyunjin person sniping them and basically carrying his team, Seungmin’s team managed to claim back their points and defend them until the alarm signalling the end of the match rang. Seungmin had a grin on his face as he checked his inventory and seeing the upgrade he wanted in the Ghost slot and immediately putting it on Jiniret. The Ghost gave a delighted squeal as they tested out the upgrade.

“You’re pretty interesting, aren’t you?” Seungmin turned and his grin was replaced with a scowl when he saw who it was. The pretty boy from earlier.

“Still think swords are useless in GvG matches now?” Seungmin mocked. It was petty of him, but he wanted to rub in this boy’s face. Serve him right. The boy laughed and Seungmin’s frown deepened. He didn’t seem too upset by Seungmin’s jab instead offering his hand.

“I’m Hyunjin. Your gameplay was pretty interesting. Taking me out while my useless teammates run around like headless chicken while your team take down everyone else. I’m impressed,” he offered his compliments. Seungmin ignored his hand as he registered Hyunjin’s word.

Anger flowed through Seungmin’s vein at the Hunter’s mean words about his teammates. “How can you call your teammates useless? You join their fireteam for a reason. How can you insult the people who are practically family to you? To a stranger no less?” Seungmin scolded. Hyunjin looked surprised before giving a harsh laugh.

“Interesting. You really don’t know who I am. I’m a solo Guardian. I don’t have a fireteam,” he scoffed but kept the smug look on his face. “The only reason I’m in this team is because they begged me for help and offered enough Glimmers to get the latest gun. It’s not my fault that they can’t even win a game on their own,” he shrugged.

Seungmin didn’t know what to say. On one hand, maybe his opponents were really useless considering the gameplay earlier. But on the other hand, Hyunjin didn’t really have the rights to insult a bunch of people he was not familiar with. But nevertheless, the Hunter’s arrogant attitude pissed him off, so he turned on his heels and stormed back to his dorm. He was not getting his victory be ruined by some asshole. “Alright, see you later, Seungmin!” he heard Hyunjin call out.

How he knew the Warlock’s name, Seungmin didn’t want to know. All he knew was that he disliked Hyunjin and would not like to be associated with him ever.

✨✨✨

It was just his bad luck that once again, Felix and Jisung were not available for his next mission. BbokAri seemed to have some malfunction and it was too dangerous for Felix to accompany Seungmin without a properly functioning Ghost. Jisung had an unfortunate case of bad stomach ache, something a Ghost could not heal, and was forbidden to go under the orders of his boyfriend, Minho. He could go alone but Ikora refused to approve his mission unless he brought at least one more person.

So, there he was, sitting at the hangar bench to wait for a Ghost to reply to Jiniret’s assistance request on behalf of their Guardian. Jiniret gave a delighted squeak when they finally received a reply. “PuppyM said that them and their Guardian are available for the mission! Should we invite them?”

Seungmin shook his head, almost violently. “What? No. Wait for someone else,” he rejected.

“I’m hurt. Don’t you like me at least a little, Seungmin?” a voice whispered into his ear. Seungmin jumped and drew out his gun, body in a defensive stand. When he acknowledged who the person was, the scowl on Seungmin’s face returned. Of course, it had to be Hyunjin.

“No. Buzz off. I’m not working with you,” the Warlock grunted as he settled back on the bench.

Hyunjin laughed. Seungmin hated how pretty his laugh sounded so he turned to face away from Hyunjin as if it would make him stop laughing. “Everyone else are unavailable. I’m the only one free right now,” Hyunjin ruffled Seungmin’s hair. The Warlock slapped Hyunjin’s hand away and rearranged his hair. “Come on, do you wanna do the mission or not? Someone other team will take it if you don’t hurry up.”

As much as Seungmin hated to admit it, Hyunjin was right. The loot for this mission was too good to pass up. Apparently, there was an exotic gun to be claimed and it would be a good weapon for Jisung to use. He was due for a better gun soon. And seeing that there was no one else available to join Seungmin on this mission. And his point was further solidified when Jiniret voiced out his thoughts.

“Fine,” he gave a reluctant grunt. Jiniret and Hyunjin cheered, making Seungmin and PuppyM sigh at how loud they were. Really, Jiniret and Hyunjin were more made for each other. Nevertheless, after receiving the approval from Ikora, Seungmin was back on his ship, heading towards the planet Europa with Hyunjin following close behind on his own ship.

Seungmin would never admit it but while Jisung, Felix and he made a great team, filling up each other’s flaws with their strengths, it was different with Hyunjin. It almost felt as if Hyunjin was the one doing all the work while Seungmin tried to catch up. Seungmin hid and dodged between any form of protection, shooting his enemies from behind his safe spot while Hyunjin charged into the fight, guns blazing wildly and knife slashing everywhere, but not once did they miss their marks. Sure, Hyunjin took hits but PuppyM had no problem following the boy around and healing him quickly.

It made all the work for Seungmin easier as Hyunjin naturally drew the enemies to him, allowing Seungmin to shoot them from behind the line and picking them off one by one while Hyunjin sliced them up from within his circle. Wow was right when Jiniret expressed his awe towards the Hunter, nearly forgetting to heal Seungmin. It was until Seungmin had died and Hyunjin revived him quickly, only then did Jiniret concentrated on their work.

As they delved deeper into their destination, it was clear why Ikora didn’t allow Seungmin to do this mission alone. There were way too many high level Fallens lurking around for him to manage if anything went wrong. Hyunjin grabbed Seungmin’s hand and pulled him towards a wall and crouched down. Seungmin followed his actions, eyes trained on the Fallens walking around as they shuffled towards the exit. They were almost there when there was a crack.

The two Guardians froze and looked down. Because both of them were too busy looking at the Fallens, they have forgotten to be careful of where they stepped. Hyunjin lifted his feet to see a wooden stick snapped in half on the ground. Immediately, guns were pointed in their direction.

They’ve been discovered.

“RUN!” Hyunjin yelled and they scrambled towards the exit, only to meet another horde of Fallens, gun already firing bullets at them. Hyunjin dodged while Seungmin dropped down a shield, turning around to shoot the Fallens behind him and hoping that his shield could protect his back for a few minutes.

Hyunjin darted around, throwing grenades and shooting the Fallens in the second hall with frenzied accuracy. If there’s one thing Seungmin noticed, it was that Hyunjin liked taunting the Fallens, drawing their attention to him. Hyunjin must have liked attention a lot, not caring if they were good or bad. Seungmin ignored him but could not contain his smile at Hyunjin’s whoops as he continued gunning down any remaining Fallens, Jiniret working hard to heal Seungmin.

Just as Seungmin sliced the last of the Fallens, Hyunjin came back to his side with a gleeful smile. He had this childlike joy as he bounced on his feet, as if he was on a caffeine rush. Seungmin wondered where he got his unlimited energy from seeing as he was already exhausted. But the childish gleam in Hyunjin’s eyes was almost endearing and dare he say, adorable. Not like his usual arrogant self he always showed whenever they were together.

“We’re doing pretty good so far. I think their boss is up ahead,” Seungmin said as he checked his tasks. Hyunjin gave a delighted gasp and grab the Warlock’s hand, eagerly pulling him towards their endpoint. Seungmin could feel himself getting excited as he ran after Hyunjin, hands only letting go as they worked together to take down on the boss together, finishing the mission and grabbing his loot in record time.

There was one thing Seungmin could admit was that he definitely enjoyed the mission with Hyunjin.

✨✨✨

Felix and Jisung had strange expressions on their faces when Seungmin waved goodbye to Hyunjin after reporting back to Ikora. “What?” he asked. His friends looked at each other before turning back to him, eyes squinting and scrutinising him. Seungmin shifted on his feet, almost uncomfortable with the way they were looking at him.

“What’s the tea with you and our star Hunter, huh? Are you dumping us for him?” Felix interrogated. Seungmin looked flustered and tense at the second oldest boy’s words, mouth gaping at his accusations. There was silence for a few seconds before Jisung and Felix broke out into peals of laughter. Seungmin relaxed and slapped the freckled boy’s arm before pushing them towards their dorm, grinning as he told Jisung that he had a surprise for him.

For a split second, Seungmin looked back to see Hyunjin looking at him with an unfamiliar expression. Seungmin wondered about it for a few seconds but brushed it off. After all, they were only acquaintances. Perhaps treading on that thin line between friendship but that was a problem for another day. Right now, he couldn’t wait to take a nice warm shower and cuddle with his friends after a difficult mission.

✨✨✨

Usually patrols didn’t really need to be done in teams. Seungmin often went on patrols alone on behalf of his fireteam. He didn’t mind it. Just him alone with his thoughts and Jiniret occasionally telling him some things as he walked rode his Sparrow. That day, he was assigned on the European Dead Zone, easily killing off stray Fallens and reporting to Devin Kay, the Guardian in charge of the Zone.

Suddenly, Jiniret gave a little beep and gave a concerned hum. “What’s wrong?” Seungmin asked. A feeling of dread came over him as his Ghost gasped.

“I received a distress signal. It’s from PuppyM. Hyunjin might be in danger!” the Ghost exclaimed. “Hyunjin is always so capable. This must be urgent if PuppyM is sending out a distress signal!”

“Send the location to my tracker,” Seungmin ordered. Jiniret did so without hesitation and the Warlock raised towards the destination, going faster than he had before and heart beating faster than normal.

As Seungmin nearly reached the destination, a desolate, run down building, he could hear PuppyM’s voice from Jiniret, voice staticky from his unstable connection. “Help! Help, Guardian! We were ambushed. My Light is restricted. Hyunjin’s in danger!” the unusual fright in Hyunjin’s Ghost fuelled Seungmin’s adrenaline as he darted towards the Hunter’s last known location.

“Please hold on. I’m coming, Hyunjin. Don’t die,” Seungmin prayed as he jumped over fallen debris and dead Fallens. For once, Jiniret wasn’t complaining, concentrating hard on finding PuppyM and hoping that their Guardian was still with them.

“They’re close. But my light is being restricted right now too!” Jiniret warned. Seungmin nodded as he did a quick check of his equipment. He slid into a room only to find it empty, with the exception of PuppyM on the ground, just barely holding on.

At the sight of Seungmin and Jiniret, PuppyM gave a quiet whimper. “They took him in that direction. Hyunjin left me here to send help almost 20 minutes ago. Please hurry,” the Ghost wheezed out. Seungmin scooped up PuppyM and placed him somewhere safe before turning to Jiniret.

Jiniret protested before Seungmin could say anything. “No, you can’t go in without me. You’ll die! I may not have the Light, but I can still heal. If the both of you die, we can’t revive you!” they yelled. Seungmin shook his head.

“I have to. You need to stay and help Jiniret. If I don’t come back in an hour, send out a distress signal to the fireteam. I’ll try to come back within an hour. This is the best way. Whatever Hyunjin is facing right now is far more dangerous than any mission we have gone on and we need you to send in reinforcement,” Seungmin reasoned. Jiniret tried to argue back but Seungmin stopped them. “We don’t have time, Jiniret. Even if we die, when reinforcement comes, you can still revive me but if you don’t help PuppyM now, Hyunjin can never come back.”

The Ghost looked at PuppyM who was struggling to keep their Light. Slowly, the Ghost nodded and Seungmin smiled. “Don’t worry. Guardians are stronger together,” he smiled before running and heading deeper into the building.

The hallway was strangely quiet but Seungmin could see the scorch marks left by a multitude of guns and limp bodies littered across the floor. Thankfully, none of them Hyunjin. As he ran deeper, he could hear voices. Gaining speed, Seungmin ran towards the source and bustling into a large room, ignoring how loud his entrance was.

In the middle of the room, Hyunjin was suspended in the air by some unknown force, legs kicking as he struggled to free himself from whatever was holding him. “Ah, you’ve brought in a friend. And one without his Light sidekick too,” a raspy voice chuckled darkly at the presence of Seungmin.

“SEUNGMIN, RUN!” Hyunjin screamed just as guns exploded all around Seungmin. Seungmin dodged all of the bullets cleanly, blood pumping as he shot and sliced through the Fallens charging at him. He did not register anything except rage and desperation as he killed the Fallens. Just as there were none left, his attention shifted to where the voice was taunting him.

“Poor pathetic Guardian. After I kill this weak friend of yours, you will be next,” the voice laughed, harsh and ugly.

Seungmin growled, “Let him go. Let him go right now or else I will slice you up and feed you to the dogs.” At his words, Hyunjin started choking as if his throat was being squeezed.

Seungmin gasped, eyes turning towards Hyunjin. “Any action you take against me, the tighter I will squeeze him. Let’s see how long he can last until he dies. I know this time his Ghost won’t be able to revive him,” the voice cackled in sick glee.

Seungmin hesitated as Hyunjin kicked again, gasping for breath. “Seungmin, don’t listen to them. Find them and kill them,” he yelled. He winced as his tried to pull something away but failing. “Seungmin, listen to me. I’m a lost cause. Just kill them. I don’t care about being dead. No one really cares about me anyways,” he wheezed, eyes shut tight as if he had accepted his fate.

“HOW CAN YOU SAY SHIT LIKE THAT, YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!” Seungmin screamed. Hyunjin’s eyes opened in surprise as he stared at Seungmin through blurry eyes. “WHEN I SAVE YOU, YOU AND I ARE GOING TO HAVE A LONG TALK ABOUT THE BULLSHIT YOU JUST SAID TO ME!” the Warlock seethed. “SO, YOU BETTER HOLD ON, BASTARD!”

The fire on Seungmin’s eyes scared Hyunjin but he found himself nodding. “Aww, how cute. Two dumb Guardians trying to motivate each other before death,” the voice cooed with a sarcastic laugh. Which was what Seungmin was counting on. At the direction of the voice, he tossed a grenade, setting off loud noises. The voice screeched as the grenade exploded around them. In their confusion, they let go of Hyunjin who fell perfectly into Seungmin’s arms.

“Come on, we gotta go,” Seungmin hissed as he carried the coughing boy towards the direction they came from. Hyunjin clung on to Seungmin as they escaped from the scene. They could hear the screech of the voice telling their minions to give chase and not let them out alive.

“Seungmin, I’m slowing us down. You can leave me here, I’ll hold them off for you,” Hyunjin said urgently.

Seungmin glared at him. “Does nonsense only ever come out of your mouth? I’m not letting you die, stupid,” he grunted as he tightened his hold on the Hunter. “Besides, we’re almost there and hopefully reinforcement is here too.”

And true to Seungmin’s words, he could hear the voice of Ikora leading a group of Guardians toward their direction. “Guardian Kim! We received your distress signal. We’re here to assist,” the Vanguard said as soon as she saw them. Seungmin nodded towards the direction they came from.

“Go ham. I have someone to yell at,” Seungmin said wryly and Hyunjin buried his face into Seungmin’s neck in shame as the Warlock shuffled pass the other Guardians who watched the duo leave. Great, more rumours but Seungmin didn’t seem to care as he marched towards where Jiniret and PuppyM were waiting.

PuppyM seemed to be much better, some of their Light restored. It would be a while until they were back in top shape but regardless, healed up Hyunjin fine. The journey back to their home was quiet and when they landed safely, Seungmin stopped Hyunjin. Seungmin gave pointed look at Jiniret who knew what Seungmin needed, as usual, and nudged PuppyM away to give the two Guardians some privacy. They were in a safe place, so it was okay for them to leave a bit.

Seungmin dragged him to a room where they could talk without being overheard or interrupted. Hyunjin was quiet and demure, head hanging in shame as Seungmin stared at him. He looked almost sad, so unlike his arrogant self. And Seungmin hated that. He wanted his confident Hyunjin back. “You’re a dumbass,” Seungmin finally said. Hyunjin nodded shakily. “I almost lost you.”

Hyunjin raised his head slightly, eyeing Seungmin through his eyelashes. He couldn’t tell if Seungmin hated him or not. He looked so angry. “I can’t believe you said those words. What made you think that, huh?” Seungmin stepped closer. Instinctively, Hyunjin stepped back, unable to answer Seungmin. The warlock continued walking closer and Hyunjin continued back up until he hit the wall in the small room.

There were more seconds of silence between them. “Do you really believe the words you said about yourself?” Seungmin questioned quietly. Hyunjin nodded. “Well, I don’t,” the younger Guardian sighed. Finally, Hyunjin looked up and faced Seungmin properly, confusion evident on his face. Confused Hyunjin was such an amusing look that Seungmin cracked a tiny smile as he reached for Hyunjin’s hands.

“Hyunjin, I don’t know what compelled you to say that, but I care. I care about you so much that it’s annoying. I don’t know what this feeling is, but I do know I would be extremely heartbroken if you’re gone permanently. So never say that again, okay?” Seungmin whispered. And right there, Hyunjin broke down, pulling Seungmin into a tight hug and crying loudly into his shoulder, baring his vulnerable emotions out to the younger boy. And Seungmin let him, wrapping his arms around the taller patting his head, encouraging him to let it all out.

And Seungmin knew, Hyunjin was just as human as any other. And that was perfectly okay.

✨✨✨

For the first time in a long time, Hyunjin was confused. He didn’t like being confused. The last time he was this confused was when PuppyM first revived him all those years ago, unsure of the world he was placed into during his second chance of living. Regardless, he forced himself to learn quickly and be way ahead of his peers, earning points and upgrading himself as quickly as possible.

Being a star Hunter gave him a lot of perks, but it came with disadvantages too. Loneliness, little genuine social interaction, people befriending him just for their own benefits, way too high expectations. When he was just a beginner, people ignored him, his only friends being PuppyM and…

And Cayde-6.

Hyunjin missed him terribly. He remembered the day he watched his beloved mentor die before his eyes, killed by the villain, Uldren Sov. He remembered the anguished as he screamed for his beloved mentor to wake up. He wanted to avenge him but Ikora and Commander Zavala deemed him too emotional to go against Uldren, instead sending a senior Hunter Guardian.

It broke Hyunjin’s heart, that he was unable to avenge Cayde. Thus, he pushed himself to doing what the former Hunter Vanguard used to do. Go on reckless adventures alone because having fireteams would only hold him down, improving himself to be the best out of everyone with a wild personality, shitting on everyone just because he could, and they couldn’t say anything anyways. Often he would see the wistful looks on the other two Vanguards whenever they saw him, and he made it the point to be extra Cayde as possible to spite them.

And that… well, that left him to be alone and felt fake whenever he was out. Of course, there was PuppyM who just supported whatever choice he made but it didn’t feel right.

Hyunjin sighed as he sat on the railing of the hangar, ignoring the dangers of falling. Even if he did, PuppyM would revive him again. “You seem bothered. Is it about Cayde-6 again?” PuppyM asked. Hyunjin nodded as he checked his inventory slot, pulling out the Ace of Spade, Cayde-6’s gun. Ikora had given it to him when the senior Guardian returned with it. Hyunjin rarely used it, finding himself unable to even look at it. But sometimes, when missing Cayde became too unbearable, he would hold it close and pretend that Cayde was still alive and would let him hold for a couple seconds before taking it away from him with a playful laugh and saying he could only have it if the older Hunter died. Hyunjin only laughed back then, the concept of being dead permanently seemed ridiculous when they had the Light the Traveller gave through their Ghosts.

“Would you like to hear his recording again?” PuppyM offered. Ah, the recordings Cayde left just in case he died. How paranoid of him although currently, it was fitting. But not tonight. Hyunjin shook his head. “Would you like me to leave you alone?”

Hyunjin nodded.

PuppyM floated away giving their Guardian the privacy he wanted. They would come back later. Maybe their Guardian would feel a little better later. For now, PuppyM floated through the other Guardians, watching them laugh at some new gossips or debate about the benefits of new weapons and armours. They greeted the Ghosts that pass them, offering polite talk before moving on.

“PuppyM!” the Ghost heard the familiar call of a certain Guardian’s Ghost.

“Hello, Jiniret. Hello Guardian Kim,” the Hunter’s ghost greeted them politely. Seungmin gave him a small smile and craned his neck. Ah, perhaps to look for their Guardian. “If you are searching for Hyunjin, he it taking a rest,” PuppyM informed hopefully. Seungmin looked almost disappointed but nevertheless kept the smile on his face.

Jiniret circled PuppyM once. “You seem really sad,” they stated with a concerned voice. 

“Oh, am I? I’m not too sure. I apologise,” PuppyM seemed flustered at Jiniret’s words. Sensing their discomfort, Seungmin chastised his Ghost. Jiniret apologised. “That’s okay. Thank you for letting me know,” the Ghost tilted forward slightly before floating away, Jiniret’s words sticking in their head.

Perhaps they were sad. Ever since Cayde-6’s death and also subsequently his Ghost’s death, PuppyM could see how the death took a toll on their Guardian. And it might have affected them too without them realising. PuppyM was created by The Traveller’s Light to help their Guardian, the sentient part was optional on their end but in the end, they had feelings too and like their Guardian, they missed their mentors terribly.

They were just a Ghost, but they were hurting far more than they could understand and that wasn’t a good thing for both them and their Guardian.

✨✨✨

Seungmin and Jiniret often had arguments. They had feelings after all. While Seungmin was sometimes too careful and detailed on his work, it annoyed Jiniret who was reckless and wanted to act quickly which pissed their Guardian off. Regardless, it balanced things out between them. Jiniret reminded Seungmin that it was okay to let go and trust them once in a while and Seungmin reeled Jiniret in before they got into trouble. Sometimes their argument gets out of hand and they won’t speak to each other for hours on end. But in the end, they were Ghost and Guardian after all. And they had a bond that was like no other. Just like siblings.

Hyunjin and PuppyM never had an argument. Whatever Hyunjin wants, PuppyM would provide. Even though it seemed reckless, PuppyM would just follow orders. After all, they knew Hyunjin knew where his limit lay. But sometimes, there were times PuppyM wanted to scold Hyunjin, but they kept themselves quiet and held that uncomfortable feeling in. They were just a Ghost after all and Hyunjin was a Guardian. PuppyM was created to cater and help their Guardian and Hyunjin was well… just Hyunjin. He could do whatever he wanted and PuppyM would always be there to help.

But sometimes holding negative emotions in could be dangerous on a Ghost and a Guardian without restrain can cause an argument. And thus, it was the first time PuppyM had exploded on Hyunjin and with Hyunjin’s defence mechanism (which was shutting down and refusal to listen), it was messy and loud until PuppyM floated away with that frightening feel of anger and Hyunjin storming off to his go-to spot.

And off course, such loud commotion would mean that the gossip would spread like wildfire. No one knew what caused it, so the reason was discussed among them. It didn’t take long before BbokAri floated into the dorm room where Seungmin and his two other members were discussing on which mission to take next, to inform them of the news. Seungmin and Jiniret looked at each other with concern about the Hunter and his Ghost and contemplated whether to go search for them or not. Seungmin wanted to wrap up the discussion but Jiniret wanted to go to PuppyM quickly. Eventually, they reached a decision to finish up the finer details later after reviewing the overall strategy draft.

Perfect teamwork.

Seungmin rolled his eyes at the looks Felix and Jisung gave him. But right now, he had to look for Hyunjin. Bidding Jiniret goodbye, Seungmin sighed. Without PuppyM besides Hyunjin, searching for the Hunter would be quite a tricky task. But really, how big was the Tower?

Maybe he could ask around. He started with a bunch of Guardians, seeming invested in the PuppyM and Hyunjin situation. The star Guardian and his perfect Ghost having a fall out? What would happen on missions then?

“Excuse me, have you seen Hyunjin?” Seungmin asked. The Guardian shared looks but shook their heads. Seungmin walked around, asking anyone if they had seen the boy. He searched high and low, even checking the alleyway of the Tower, but to no avail. Eventually, Seungmin sighed and rested against a pillar, staring at the evening sky. “Where the hell are you, Hwang Hyunjin?” he wondered out loud.

He shut his eyes and exhaled before opening up and right there and then, he noticed a person sitting on the railing of the hangar, a blank expression on his face. There he was. Seungmin pushed himself upright and jumped to the top of the hangar effortlessly before striding towards Hyunjin who didn’t seem to notice his presence.

“If I were a Fallen or a Vex or a Hive or a Cabal, you would be dead right now,” Seungmin chuckled just as Hyunjin jumped slightly at his voice. The Hunter turned around and offered an almost sad smile.

“To be honest, I wish I am,” Hyunjin sighed. Seungmin frowned as he approached the railing and leaned against it beside Hyunjin. There was a peaceful quiet between the two of them as they watched the birds fly and the clouds float by.

Seungmin studied the older boy’s carefully. Despite the seemingly blank look, Hyunjin’s eyes were sad, almost dull and hazy as they stared into the distance. Seungmin wondered what he was thinking about. Once again, the taller boy exhaled and closed his eyes. “Have you ever wondered what if you were never a Guardian? Just be a dead person for the rest of your life?”

Seungmin hummed. Sure, he had those thoughts sometimes. If he stayed dead, he didn’t have to deal with reports. If he stayed dead, he didn’t have to think of strategies to earn points and prizes. If he stayed dead, didn’t have to deal with the burden of protecting the citizens of Light from constant danger. But those were the reason why he was given a second chance in life, He got to meet Jiniret, Felix, Jisung, BbokAri, HAN Quokka, PuppyM and the other Guardians and Ghosts. And most of all, he got to meet Hyunjin.

“I do,” Seungmin finally replied. “And when you think about it, I’m glad I got to be alive and become a Guardian because it meant that I got to meet everyone I have the privilege to meet. Sure, sometimes it’s hard and annoying but that’s the whole point of living, you know? You take and you give.”

Hyunjin opened his eyes and looked at Seungmin. The warlock smiled softly. “I’m glad I met you, Hyunjin,” Seungmin whispered.

Hyunjin laughed softly. “I’m glad I met you, too,” he murmured back before turning back to look at the scenery again. Seungmin did the same. And there, they sat, watching the sun set into darkness.

That night, like how emotional Hyunjin was with his argument with PuppyM, he was emotional about his apology well and they both cried. Well, more like the Guardian cried while PuppyM comforted their Guardian, although one could hear the crack in their voice as they forgave their Guardian.

They were Ghost and Guardian after all. And they had a bond that was like no other. Just like siblings

✨✨✨

Jiniret had been acting strange. Well, they were always strange but now more so than before. Every time they hung out with Hyunjin and PuppyM, the Ghost would become gigglier and shyer as they chatted with PuppyM. Well, it wasn’t just Jiniret as well, seeing as PuppyM often seemed flustered and embarrassed.

Hyunjin and Seungmin would share a look and quietly sneak away, leaving the two Ghosts in their own world. It was clearly obvious that the two of them liked each other and who were the Guardians to separate them. It was cute.

“Can you believe it? Our Ghosts growing up,” Hyunjin giggled when they were far away enough. It became common for the both Guardians to hang out at the hangar when they had nothing to do. Seungmin liked being alone with Hyunjin. Being alone with Hyunjin meant watching him drop whatever shallow hotshot star Hunter image he had, and the deeper thoughts would come out, having in depth talk about anything. Even about marshmallows.

“What are you up to these days?” Hyunjin asked. Seungmin hummed.

“Planning the next crucible match, I guess,” came the answer. Hyunjin nodded. He was never interested in strategies or the match in general. He only joined when there was something beneficial for him. But he never really actually played the way Seungmin and his team played. He did whatever he liked and usually the team who begged him, let him do his thing as long as he didn’t disrupt their plans (or lack thereof, as proven from the last time he played, which was against Seungmin’s team).

Hyunjin stared at him, a curious spark in his ever so pretty eyes. Seungmin almost melted at the childlike curiosity Hyunjin emitted. “Would you like to join our team?” he asked. Hyunjin nodded eagerly, making Seungmin laugh. “I’ll tell my team and we’ll see if we can slot you in, alright?”

Hyunjin agreed and nearly vibrated in excitement when Seungmin told him one of the members offered their spot to him just so they could chill, much to everyone’s amusement. The next meeting, Hyunjin confirmed everything at least thrice, which should be annoying, but everyone was too endeared by his enthusiasm. As the meeting concluded, everyone was far more pumped up than their previous matches.

The next crucible gameplay was a simple game of Clash, in which points were scored for every kill. The team had decided on a trap play, laying as much traps as possible at every possible angle. The warlocks would place multiple arrays of traps while the Titans and Hunters would clear off any opponent that managed to escape. It was a simple enough concept for Hyunjin who jumped from building to building, keeping an eye on any opponent and taking them out one by one while Seungmin trailed behind him to reset the traps.

All too soon, the alarm signalled the end of the game and Seungmin’s team won by a landslide. Sure, the opponents were bitter about it but Seungmin didn’t seem to care as he wrapped his arms around Hyunjin. Hyunjin gave a delighted laugh and returned the hug, squeezing Seungmin as tight as possible. They stayed like that for a long time until Felix broke them up by teasing them about not sharing hugs.

And that was also when Seungmin and Hyunjin liked the hug far more than they expected.

✨✨✨

“So… you and Hyunjin, huh,” Jisung wriggled his eyebrows at Seungmin when they returned to the dorm after celebrating their Crucible win. Seungmin shot the oldest of their trio a confused look.

“What about me and Hyunjin?” Seungmin asked as he removed his shoes and dropped onto his office chair with a loud huff. Jisung gave a vague gesture. Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Please be more specific, Sung. I’m not your Ghost,” he muttered as he grabbed his water bottled and gulped its contents.

Jiniret materialised in front of them. “I think he’s asking if you and Hyunjin are dating,” they chirped way to brightly. Seungmin choked on his drink, spraying on poor, unfortunate Jisung who gave a piercing shriek. HAN Quokka materialised, screaming as well. The whole dorm was chaotic as Seungmin tried to cough out the last bit of his water, Jiniret laughing loudly at their Guardian while Jisung and his Ghost yelled at each other for the scare they both gave each other.

Felix entered the room and seeing the chaos happening, decided that it would be a good idea to join in by hollering and removing his sweaty clothes and swung it around, nearly knocking his Ghost out. It wasn’t until another Guardian came by and yelled at them only did they quiet down with giggles and meaningless apologies.

But still, Jisung didn’t let it go. Instead he pulled Felix along to trap Seungmin in his bed, legs and arms clung tightly around him like an octopus and asked the question, this time more specific. “Do you like Hyunjin, Minnie? In the romantic way. The way I like Minho,” the squirrel faced boy asked. Felix was curious as well, ears perked at the gossip only available within the walls of their dorm.

Seungmin was quiet as he pondered over the question. Did he like Hyunjin? Despite starting off on the wrong foot, Seungmin came to learn about the deepest part of the Hunter. How he was allergic to cat fur and would love to adopt a puppy in the future, how he would hide under the pillows when watching a horror movie even though he fought with Fallens, Vex, Cabals and Hives often, and how he likes his americano iced. He also learned how the only reason he became the way he was was because he couldn’t avenge and grief the death of his mentor properly, how he was overlooked by the other Guardians but Cayde was the only one who could see his potential and trained him every possible moment, how despite being loud at any other times, enjoyed drawing quietly during the peaceful evenings and whisper stories he could think of to Seungmin. Seungmin also learned about his insecurities, learned of his vulnerable points he would hide away, only baring them open to Seungmin.

And Hyunjin… Hyunjin had done so much for him too. Providing a quiet relief away from the loud thoughts of strategies and logic, not knowing if they would work or not, holding his hand to pull him away from his inner thoughts and ground him back to the present, offering his skills to any physical problems he had. Hyunjin always seemed interested in everything Seungmin showed him, from the music Seungmin could faintly remember from long, long ago to the complex mechanics of how his latest traps worked for their next mission.

And that hug… Seungmin had hugged many people. But no one gave him the same feeling Hyunjin gave. The sweet, fluttering warmth and the delightful affection that only Hyunjin can give. The special addiction that only loving Hyunjin could give.

Did Seungmin like Hyunjin? Romantically? Like the way Jisung liked Minho? “Yes, yes, I like him romantically,” Seungmin whispered. However, all that replied was the soft snores of Jisung and Felix. Seungmin chuckled.

Fuck. He was in love with Hwang Hyunjin.

✨✨✨

At that revelation, Seungmin avoided Hyunjin. He didn’t know why but every time he saw the older Hunter, his heart beat way too embarrassingly fast and his cheeks flushed too much that anyone would think he was ill. It was way too embarrassing to talk to Hyunjin when he was feeling like this, so the next best step (to Seungmin) was to leave.

Jiniret didn’t seem too impressed by Seungmin’s cowardly moves but didn’t push it which Seungmin was grateful for. He knew that they would talk to PuppyM about it and he hoped that they wouldn’t blab it to Hyunjin. It would be even more embarrassing if he found out that way.

“So, you’re in love with him. What are you gonna do about it?” HAN Quokka asked as they went through another mission strategy. Seungmin groaned. Trust the busybody to ask so much questions not related to the work at hand. Jisung shushed his Ghost, giving a sympathetic smile at Seungmin who waved it off and continued with the strategy planning. It was the only way he could get Hyunjin out of his mind.

“Right, so I think Chan should go in as bait first and then Minho and Changbin can drop the nets. Make sure at least three of us are on super charge and attack them at once. After that, repeat again with the other three members so at least we have time to recharge again. What do you think?” Seungmin suggested.

Felix and Jisung seemed to agree and everything were going fine until Minho barged in with a worried look on his face. “Did you see the Crucible match list?” he exclaimed, placing the tablet on the table. Seungmin peered at the screen and right there, going against them was Hyunjin’s name.

“Just because Hyunjin’s in a team doesn’t mean he would win. You’ve seen the last time he was in another team,” Seungmin frowned. Minho shook his head and swiped to the right and oh…

Well, they might just be fucked.

Hyunjin’s team consisted of Jeongin, Sanha, Bomin and Daehwi, all of them aces in their own team. There might only be five people, but it was enough to possibly wipe Seungmin’s team out. And they certainly weren’t dumb enough to fall any of their traps. They need to completely form another strategy.

How the heck did Hyunjin manage to gather those aces together and convince them to form a team with him?

✨✨✨

Seungmin was tired. Him and his team had been wracking their brains for days trying to come up with a plan, watching all the gameplays of Hyunjin’s members. It was difficult trying to find a pattern when all the members came from different teams and Hyunjin had many solid picks of his teammates. Where one ace flawed, another ace made up for it and it was driving Seungmin nuts.

He needed a breather and soon enough he found himself at his and Hyunjin’s spot. The hangar. It had been a while since he had been there, feeling the wind on his face. The only thing missing was the warmth of the person he had been missing for a very long time. But right now, his heart was in a mess.

On one hand, he felt slightly betrayed that Hyunjin was going against his team with aces. Which was unfair but on the other hand, he felt that pride knowing that Hyunjin made the effort to reach out to strangers, and perhaps forming bonds with them. It’s a good thing for Hyunjin, making more friends.

Seungmin sighed. And there goes another dilemma. If Hyunjin made more friends, would he forget Seungmin?

Oh…. That hurt.

As Seungmin contemplated on his thoughts, he was startled by a soft chuckle. “If I were a Fallen or a Vex or a Hive or a Cabal, you would be dead right now,” Hyunjin repeated Seungmin’s words from what seemed to be years ago.

“That would be sad, isn’t it?” Seungmin huffed but turned to face Hyunjin with a small smile. The wind blew, and a strand of Hyunjin’s hair fell messily in front of his face. The warlock reached out and tucked the strand behind the Hunter’s ear. Before he could move his hand away, Hyunjin reached up and grabbed it tightly, an unreadable expression on his face. “What?” Seungmin questioned, his breath whispery and light, almost as if he was too afraid to breathe.

Hyunjin coughed. “You look tired,” he mumbled. Seungmin rolled his eyes but kept the smile on his face.

“No thanks to you,” he gave a playful jab. But Hyunjin didn’t smile. Seungmin felt a sick sense of dread.

“If you like, I can withdraw under one condition,” Hyunjin whispered.

Seungmin pulled his hand away from Hyunjin’s grip as if burned. The smile on his face dropped and he felt fury bubbling in his stomach. “Are you looking down on us?” he growled harshly. Hyunjin’s eyes widened at Seungmin’s turn of expression. If there was anything Seungmin hated, it was being looked down upon.

And it was back to square one. Like the day they first met.

“No, Seungmin. Listen-,” Hyunjin started, hand reaching for Seungmin’s again but was slapped away.

“I have to go,” Seungmin cut him off and turned away, storming towards his dorm. Hyunjin could only watch Seungmin’s back in dismay, his plans weren’t going the way he wanted.

Fuck.

✨✨✨

“You look like death,” Changbin commented when Seungmin and his team appeared. Chan looked worriedly at the youngest boy.

“Yeah, you okay there, mate? Maybe you should sit out on this match. I don’t think this is something your Ghost can help you out with if you faint. After all, they only deal with physical wounds rather than the brain stuff,” the oldest said. Seungmin shook his head and assured his teammates he would be fine.

Seungmin only managed a measly two hours of sleep, trying to come out with a plan. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was the best they could manage so far. After he finished his briefing, he was met with hesitant glances. Seungmin couldn’t blame them. The chances of them winning was slim to none but something in him wanted to prove Hyunjin that his team was not to be looked down upon. Just like all those months ago.

“Listen, I know this seems ridiculous but if the plan isn’t working, then let’s drop the strategy and just go all out? How does that sound?” Seungmin offered. Five surprised faces turned to him. “What?”

“You’re always about strategies and following it as closely as possible. This is the first time you’re telling us to abandon all strategy once it isn’t working,” Minho spoke up for them.

“Am I really such a stickler for strategies?” Seungmin asked wryly. His teammates seemed to reconsider his words before nodding yes. Seungmin was flabbergasted, jaw dropping open at his teammate’s honest confession. They started laughing at his expression and Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh along. “Maybe I just wanna break out of my mould for once,” he finally shrugged.

“Wow, I never thought I would hear that from our resident strategist Kim Seungmin ever,” Minho laughed just as the alarm bell rang.

As they lined up to shake hands with their opponent, Seungmin found himself standing in front of Hyunjin who looked nervous. Hyunjin looked like he was about to say something but Seungmin stopped him. “I hope you won’t go easy on us, Hwang Hyunjin. Or else, I will be greatly disappointed,” he warned.

Something in Hyunjin seemed to snap and a slow smirk crept up on his face. “Don’t worry. After the last time I went against you, I won’t repeat the same mistake,” Hyunjin said smugly. For a moment, everything seemed alright between them.

“You better,” Seungmin scowled as he slapped his hand against Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin winced at the harsh treatment but the smile returned as he skipped back to his designated spot. The alarm blared and the game was on.

The gameplay was Mayhem, similar to Clash, but their Supers were allowed to be used in order to claim more points. Almost immediately, Hyunjin’s team had started taking out Seungmin’s team. Seungmin had managed to dodge a headshot and sent a couple bullets in the general direction of Hyunjin’s team Warlock. He heard a yelp and Seungmin grinned. However, he wanted to at least worked bits of his plan first before abandoning it for real.

“Sung, Minho, formation!” he called out. Like practiced, the couple darted to their designated spot and planted some weight sensitive bombs in the middle of the map, and like Seungmin had expected, multiple bullets shot towards their way almost expecting an easy kill but Jisung had already placed a protective shield in which caused the bombs to bounce off the shield and exploding everywhere. Seungmin laughed when he heard the robotic announcement.

Han Jisung has killed Choi Bomin.

Han Jisung has killed Lee Daehwi.

“Damn, your plan is crazy but it’s working!” Seungmin heard Chan whistle, impressed by the results.

“We got a long way to go. We have another hour to gather as many points as possible and remember, they get smarter each time,” Seungmin reminded. “Keep yourself as alert as possible.”

There were a couple of “Roger that,” as his team scattered. Seungmin made many call outs, some successful, some a failure but nevertheless both teams seemed to be on equal grounds.

“Hyunjin keeps sniping me,” Changbin complained. “But I can’t pinpoint where he is.”

“He probably turned on invisible mode. They last for like 3 minutes with 5 minutes cooldown. Keep yourself hidden until he reappears and then take him down,” Felix suggested. There was an affirmative reply on Changbin’s end. As the time ticked closer to the end, the battle got even more intense. At some point, Seungmin heard the whoops from Changbin and the automated voice calling out the result.

Seo Changbin has killed Hwang Hyunjin.

Suddenly, at the announcement of Hyunjin’s temporary death, it seemed like Hyunjin’s team member has gotten more aggressive. Bullets went flying as they gunned down Seungmin’s team.

“What’s going on?” Minho called out the minute he was reviving.

“Uh… I think they just got even more serious,” Felix said shakily before he yelped, and the automated voice announced his death.

“What do we do?” Jisung asked. Seungmin sighed.

“Time to abandon. I think we gathered enough energy to fight back,” Seungmin smirked.

“HELL YEAH, BABY!” Jisung screamed and activated his super, running towards one of Hyunjin’s teammates and lightning speed, electricity crackling as he took down the boy. It seemed like the floodgates opened because everyone activated their supers and a fierce fight started.

Seungmin activated his super and darted towards a silhouette, his weapon clashing against another. Upon taking a closer look, Seungmin scoffed when he saw who it was. Of course, fate would put him with Hyunjin. “Hello, isn’t this destiny,” Hyunjin smirked, as their weapons clanged against each other, electricity buzzing around each other as they tried to find each other’s weak spot. But every move they tried to make, it was quickly blocked by the other.

Seungmin could feel his energy depleting but he kept up the vigour regardless, gritting his teeth as he powered through. But at some moment, he stumbled dangerously on his feet, vision filled with dots. His head felt like splitting open but using what energy he had left, he swiped towards Hyunjin only to miss and fall into the Hunter’s arm and collapsed heavily.

“Seungmin? Seungmin? What’s wrong?” Hyunjin turned Seungmin on his back gently and gave a light shake. Seungmin shook limply. “STOP! STOP! TIME OUT! SEUNGMIN FAINTED!” Hyunjin yelled. Almost immediately, the fight stopped just as the alarm signalling the end of the match rang. Weapons were dropped as Felix and Jisung scrambled to Seungmin’s side.

“Seungmin, you alright bro?” Jisung asked. There was a weak cough from Seungmin.

“Hurts,” he managed to wheeze out.

“I’ll take you to the clinic, okay? Rest, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin informed and without any confirmation, carried the boy up and made haste towards his ship, walking pass their Ghosts who followed them nervously. Jiniret looked particularly jittery as she checked on their Guardian repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, Jiniret. Guardian Kim will be fine,” PuppyM comforted them.

“Oh, I wish he wasn’t so stubborn. He had been forgoing his proper 8 hours of sleep just for his stupid pride,” Jiniret whimpered as they checked on Seungmin’s vitals repeatedly. Hyunjin kept quiet as he continued manning his ship. Word must have reached The Tower as a bunch of medical professionals were there to greet them and wheel Seungmin to the hospital.

Hyunjin could only hope Seungmin was alright and once he was fine, the both of them were going to have a long overdue talk. PuppyM had taken Jiniret back to their dorm to rest and reprocess the day’s events slowly. Hyunjin walked towards the ward where Seungmin was placed and waited patiently outside.

Hyunjin wasn’t sure how long he sat outside. Doctors entered and left, barely giving Hyunjin a glance. Eventually, the Hunter’s head dropped as he slowly dozed off.

✨✨✨

“Hyunjin, Hyunjin, wake up,” Hyunjin’s eyes slowly opened to meet the warm brown ones of Kim Seungmin. The eyes he missed so much. He gave a soft confused grunt and stretched, wincing at the way his neck cracked from the awkward angle he unknowingly tortured himself with. “Come, let’s get you on a proper bed,” Seungmin laughed softly, holding the Hunter’s hand and gently leading him into his ward.

Hyunjin felt like he was in a dream as he followed his beautiful boy, hand tightening as if he was afraid Seungmin would let go and he would lose him forever. Seungmin giggled when his hand slipped slightly but Hyunjin gripped it tighter. Nevertheless, they managed to get into bed without letting go of each other hands once. It was only when Seungmin placed his arms around Hyunjin’s waist and the hunter had wrapped his arms in a protective hold around the warlock did they let go.

“I don’t know if this is a dream or not but I wanna say so many things to you,” Hyunjin sighed into the quiet space between them. “Hopefully when I wake up and when you wake up, you’ll be willing to listen to my apology,” he murmured, tightening his hold around Seungmin. Dream Seungmin or Real Seungmin, he missed his beautiful boy.

“I’m sure he will,” Seungmin smiled and pressed a soft kiss on the top of the older boy’s forehead before settling into sleep as well. Once again, the only answer was soft snores, peaceful and warm.

✨✨✨

When Hyunjin woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. Squinting his eyes, he tried to remember what happened. He remembered sitting outside of Seungmin’s ward and then the hazy, sleepy walk towards Seungmin’s bed, Seungmin holding his hands and then placing his arm on his waist. Seungmin being tucked in his arm.

Oh, that wasn’t a dream…

Hyunjin turned to see Seungmin smiling sleepily at him. “Good morning,” the warlock’s raspy morning voice greeted him softly. Seeing this sight, gave Hyunjin a warm feeling in his chest. He wanted to see this gorgeous sight for as long as he can live, every morning and every night.

He was so in love with Seungmin and wanted to tell him that every day. But in order to do that… he had to apologise.

“Seungmin, that day, I was being stupid. I didn’t mean to-,” Seungmin cut him off with a light giggle, finding amusement in Hyunjin’s panic.

“Don’t be stupid. I was just upset and overreacted,” he murmured as he shuffled closer into Hyunjin’s chest and tucking his face into the slim neck. “I just wanted to know why you decided to form a team without telling me.”

“Because I wanted your attention,” Hyunjin choked up. He felt like crying as he pulled Seungmin closer to him. It was embarrassing, crying in front of the person he loved but he couldn’t help it. “I didn’t want you to abandon me too, like Cayde. So I got the best team so you would pay attention to me. And I tried reaching out to people so you would be proud of me and maybe like me more,” he sobbed.

Seungmin felt guilty. This whole time he avoided Hyunjin, it was for his own selfish reason, forgetting how lonely Hyunjin was without him. The warlock pulled back, and he felt his vision blurred from the unshed tears. “I’m sorry. I was an idiot too. When I knew I liked you, I was too cowardly to face you and now we’re in this stupid mess because we were both so, so dumb,” he laughed dryly at the hilarity of this whole situation.

Two Guardians, toughened by the cruelty of the world outside, sobbing like children once feelings were talked about. What a sight to see. Hyunjin giggled softly and Seungmin’s heart melted. God, he was so in love with Hyunjin. And Hyunjin was in love with him too. How lucky he was that Destiny decided that he deserved another chance so he could meet the love of his life for all of eternity.

“I love you, Hwang Hyunjin,” Seungmin whispered, struck dumb by this revelation as if the fog had cleared, showing him the clear love and adoration he had for this man, as he pressed a soft kiss on the back of the Hunter’s hand.

“And I love you too, Kim Seungmin,” Hyunjin said with equal sentiments.

One day, Destiny said that these boys deserved a chance in Love and so revived them to be together for all of eternity.


End file.
